% GOVERNOR EVERS, THANKS FOR YOUR
% TIME TODAY.%>> THANKS, ZAC.
% >> ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS
% SAYS HE, TOO, IS HOPING TO
% IMPROVE LINES OF COMMUNICATION
% BETWEEN THE LEGISLATURE AND THE
% GOVERNOR.
% WE SPOKE WITH HIM RECENTLY ABOUT
% THE BUDGET AND HIS LEGISLATIVE
% PRIORITIES.%>> MR. SPEAKER,
THANKS FOR YOUR
% TIME.%>> ALWAYS HAPPY TO BE
HERE.
% THANKS, ZAC.
% >> GIVE ME YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF
% THE 2022 ELECTIONS AND WHAT ARE
% YOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE RESULTS?
% >> I WOULD SAY FIRST OF ALL, IT
% SEEMED TO GO ALONG BETTER THAN
% IT DID BEFORE.
% I THINK WE HAD LESS CONCERNS
% WITH THE CHALLENGES THAT
% OCCURRED IN 2020.
% I THINK IT STILL SHOWS THAT
% THERE WERE ISSUES THAT WE HAD TO
% DEAL WITH.
% I STILL WOULD PREFER THAT WE HAD
% THE MONDAY BILL ASSEMBLY -- I
% THINK WE HAD SOME CHANGES TO THE
% WAY THAT WE DID DIFFERENT
% ELECTION LAWS THAT SHOULD HAVE
% BECOME LAW.
% I THINK THOSE ISSUES ARE STILL
% OUT THERE.
% BUT I THINK WE'VE ALSO REALIZED
% THAT THERE IS A LOT OF PASSION
% AROUND ELECTIONS.
% ON BOTH SIDES IN WISCONSIN.
% EVERYTHING IS SO CLOSE.
% SO I WISH WE WOULD FOCUS MORE ON
% TRYING TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS
% CONFIDENCE FROM THE VERY FAR
% RIGHT TO THE VERY FAR LEFT,
% INSTEAD OF JUST HOPING THAT OUR
% SIDE WINS AND THAT THE OTHER
% SIDE JUST HAS TO DEAL WITH IT.
% >> DO YOU THINK THE FACT THAT
% THERE WAS KIND OF A SPLIT
% ELECTION WITH RON JOHNSON AND
% TONY EVERS WINNING GIVES PEOPLE
% CONFIDENCE?
% LIKE THERE'S NO WAY IT COULD BE
% RIGGED IF THAT HAPPENED?
% >> I WOULD CERTAINLY HOPE SO.
% LIKE I SAY, I STILL BELIEVE
% THERE ARE CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE
% TO DEAL WITH.
% IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE COULD
% KIND OF TRY TO GENERATE MORE OF
% A CONSENSUS THIS TIME AROUND,
% WE'RE HEADING INTO WHAT IS
% PROBABLY GOING TO BE A
% CONTENTIOUS PRESIDENTIAL%ELEC
TION.% I DON'T THINK WE JUST THROW
% CAUTION TO THE WIND AND OVERHAUL
% EVERYTHING BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
% THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERNS THAT
% PEOPLE ARE LEGITIMATELY BRINGING
% UP.
% I HOPE WE CAN HAVE A SERIOUS
% CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.
% >> MILITARY B BALLOTS KIND OF CE
% UP AT THE VERY END, THERE'S NOT
% VERY ME MANY BUT DOES THAT NEEDO
% BE LOOKED AT?
% >> THERE'S A WAY IF WE DON'T
% HAVE THE SAME SECURITY AROUND
% PEOPLE WHO VOTE USING A MILITARY
% SITUATION AS OPPOSED TO SOMEBODY
% WHO LIVES IN LODI OR BURLINGTON,
% I THINK IT'S REASONABLE TO HAVE
% US DO THAT.
% MY GOAL IS ALWAYS TO HAVE THE
% MAXIMUM NUMBER OF VOTES CAST
% THAT ARE LEGAL AND PROPER.
% AND I THINK THAT'S THE SECOND
% PART THAT WE REALLY NEED TO
% FOCUS ON.
% YEAH, I WANT TO HAVE MASSIVE
% TURNOUT IN WISCONSIN LIKE WE
% ALWAYS HAVE BUT NOT DO IT IN A
% WAY THAT ALLOWS FOR INDIVIDUALS
% TO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE FINAL
% RESULTS BECAUSE SOMEBODY COULD,
% YOU KNOW, WORK THEIR WAY THROUGH
% THE PROCESS ILLEGALLY, WHETHER
% IT HAPPENS A LOT OR NOT, NOBODY
% SHOULD EVER HAVE TO WORRY THAT
% IT DOES.
% >> ARE THERE ANY NON-BUDGET
% ISSUES THAT YOU THINK THAT THE
% ASSEMBLY WILL LOOK TO ADDRESS
% RIGHT AWAY I WHEN THE SESSION
% STARTS?%>> BOY, THERE'S A LO
T THAT'S
% GOING TO GO ON.
% A LOT OF IT IS THE BUDGET.
% THAT'S PRIMARILY THE THING.
% BUT AS I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THE
% TOPICS WE CAN LOOK AT, I FEEL
% LIKE ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS%
ABOUT THE WAY THAT THE
% LEGISLATURE WORKS IS WE HAVE THE
% ABILITY TO KIND OF HIT THE RESET
% BUTTON WITH EVERY SWEARING IN
% CEREMONY THAT WE HAVE TWO
% YEARS -- EVERY TWO YEARS, SO
% PART OF ME LOOKS AND SAYS, OKAY,
% THE PAST IS THE PAST, WE'VE GOT
% TO LOOK IF HE FUTURE.
% SO NUMBER ONE, I THINK WE HAVE A
% REAL PROBLEM WITH LEARNING LOSS.
% WE NOW SEE THAT TWO OUT OF THREE
% KIDS SINCE 2019 ARE DOING WORSE
% ON STANDARDIZED TESTS.
% THEY DON'T HAVE THE ADEQUATE
% LEVEL OF MATH OR READING FOR
% THEIR GRADE LEVEL.
% THAT'S WRONG.
% WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE
% DEAL WITH THAT.
% WE ALSO KNOW WITH THE MASSIVE
% AMOUNT OF FEDERAL MONEY THAT
% CAME IN, MORE MONEY ISN'T THE
% SIMPLE ANSWER, THERE'S A LOT OF
% COMPLEX ISSUES.
% SO I THINK THAT'S AN AREA WE
% COULD FOCUS ON.
% I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT GOVERNOR
% EVERS VETOED OUR LEGISLATION TO
% INCREASE LITERACY AND LEARNING,
% HOPEFULLY WE CAN ADDRESS THE
% CONCERNS AND GET THAT THROUGH.
% SECOND THING IS WE KNOW WE HAVE
% A DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE.
% WE HAVE REAL ISSUES IN WISCONSIN
% WITH A GRAYING POPULATION AND WE
% NEED TO DO MORE TO KEEP PEOPLE
% HERE IN WISCONSIN.
% IMWHEN I LOOK AT OUR TAX CLIMATE
% AND SEE WE HAVE A FLAT TAX IN
% IOWA, MICHIGAN, ILLINOIS, A
% REPUBLICAN STATE, A DEMOCRAT
% STATE AND NEWLY TURNED DEMOCRAT
% STATE, I THINK WE CAN CERTAINLY
% HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR TAX
% BURDEN.%IT'S NOT ABOUT REWAR
DING WEALTH
% EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NOTHING
% WRONG WITH THAT.
% IT'S ABOUT SAYING IF YOU HAVE A
% RETIRED COUPLE AND THEY DECIDE
% WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO SPEND SIX
% MONTHS AND A DAY, IT CERTAINLY
% SHOULD BE WISCONSIN, NOT
% FLORIDA, TEXAS, ARIZONA, 1
% TENNESSEE, ALL PLACES
% SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER TO RETIRE.
% WE'VE GOT TO FIX THAT.
% AND THE LAST THING THAT I REALLY
% THINK WE NEED TO FOCUS ON IS
% MORE INNOVATION.
% UNDER THE BEST CASE SCENARIO,
% RIGHT NOW, WE SEE NOT NET IN
% MIGRATION, WE HAVE TO KEEP MORE
% COLLEGE GRADUATES AND PART OF
% THE INNOVATION HAS TO BE ALL
% THROUGH STATE GOVERNMENT AND
% LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.%I THINK FO
R THE MOST PART IN
% WISCONSIN, WE DO EVERYTHING THE
% WAY THAT WE DID 20 AND 30 YEARS
% AGO.
% AND RATHER THAN INNOVATING, WE
% JUST ADD MORE TO THE TOP OF THE
% PILE.%SO I WOULD LOVE FOR US
TO USE
% OUR BUDGET AND OUR OPPORTUNITY
% TO LEGISLATE TO FOCUS ON
% INNOVATING AND BEING IN A PLACE
% WHERE NEW IDEAS THRIVE.
% YOU KNOW, WE USED TO BE THE
% INVENTION CAPITAL OF THE
% COUNTRY, ERVEG FROM MALTED MILK
% TO GARBAGE DISPOSALS WERE
% INVENTED IN WISCONSIN.
% WE'VE BEEN LESS INNOVATIVE IN
% GOVERNMENT AND I THINK WE NEED
% TO CHANGE THAT.%>> MOVING TO
THE BUDGETS,
% OBVIOUSLY THE BIGGEST FOCUS, TAX
% CUTS ARE THE BIGGEST PRIORITY
% FOR REPUBLICANS.
% ARE YOU GOING TO PASS A BUDGET
% WITH A FLAT TAX OR IS THAT STILL
% NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO
% CHAMBERS AS TO WHETHER THAT
% HAPPENS?%>> I ALWAYS START BY
SAYING I
% DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANY ABSOLUTE
% BOTTOM LINES AT THIS POINT.
% THERE ARE THINGS THAT I REALLY
% WANT TO ACCOMPLISH.
% I TALKED ABOUT THE LEARNING LOSS
% THAT WE'RE SEEING IN WISCONSIN
% AMONG ALMOST EVERY GRADE LEVEL.
% WELL, WE NEED TO EDUCATE AND
% DIFFERENTIATE WISCONSIN FROM
% OTHER PLACES.
% SO I WANT MORE SCHOOL CHOICE.
% THAT DOESN'T MEAN ONLY A PRIVATE
% SCHOOL.
% IT COULD MEAN WHY DO WE HAVE IT
% DIFFICULT BETWEEN TWO PUBLIC
% SCHOOLS?
% WHY DO WE GET TO HAVE PARENTS
% NOT BE THE PRIMARY DECIDERS AND
% BUREAUCRATS INSTEAD?
% I THINK THAT SHOULD BE SOMETHING
% THAT I KNOW GOVERNOR EVERS CARES
% ABOUT EDUCATION, SO YOU WOULD
% THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE
% COULD FIND COMMON GROUND ON.
% I WOULD SAY IN MY MIND, YES, WE
% NEED TO HAVE TAX REFORM.
% I'VE TRIED TO BE GENEROUS IN
% SAYING THAT, LOOK, GOVERNOR
% EVERS SIGNED THE LAST BUDGET
% WHERE WE HAD NOWHERE NEAR THE
% SURPLUS WE HAD NOW WITH
% $3.4 BILLION IN TAX CUTS, I
% CAN'T IMAGINE UNDER ANY SCENARIO
% WE HAVE LESS THAN THAT, WE
% SHOULD HAVE MORE, BUT I HAVEN'T
% DRAWN A LINE IN THE SAND SAYING
% IT MUST BE DONE AT THIS LEVEL OR
% THIS WAY BUT I WILL TELL YOU THE
% ONLY BOTTOM LINE I HAVE IS WE
% ARE NOT GOING TO USE THE SURPLUS
% OR NEW REVENUES TO GROW THE SIZE
% OF GOVERNMENT.
% RIGHT?
% INNOVATE, MAKE SURE WE HAVE OUR
% PRIORITIES FUNDED, BUT TO CREATE
% NEW BU BUREAUCRACES, TO CREATE W